* USGTF Monthly Newsletter *

1 Jun 2021 admin

Editorial – How Does Age Affect the Teaching Professional?

Phil Mickelson shocked the golf world when he won the PGA Championship this past May. Never before had anyone 50 years old or older won a major championship, but Mickelson turned back the clock and played like the Mickelson of old instead of an old Mickelson. And a number of players on the PGA Tour Champions have said that once they turned 50, they are playing the best golf of their careers. But a closer examination of that reveals that that simply isn’t true, because if it were, they’d still be playing and winning on the PGA Tour.

There are a number of factors that go into the decline of professional golfers as they get into their upper 40s. Even Vijay Singh, who won a remarkable 22 times after turning 40, never won on the PGA Tour again after his 46th birthday. Factors cited include lack of motivation, greater effort to stay in shape physically, loss of nerve and just plain loss of coordination. Whatever the factors may be, eventually they catch up with all professional athletes. As the saying goes, Father Time is undefeated.

Can the same be said for teaching professionals? Hardly. While teaching does take some physical stamina, teachers only get better with age. USGTF member and teaching legend Bob Toski is still going strong well into his 90s, and other longtime gurus such as David Leadbetter, Rick Smith, Jim McLean and others are still going strong even though they are at the traditional retirement age. Only Butch Harmon among more prominent instructors has scaled his schedule way back, and even so he still teaches and advises a number of tour players.

The reason teachers get better with age is that every lesson is also a lesson for the teacher in how to get better. And with additional resources available, it stands to reason that more experience + more information = a better teacher. There does come a time when we all have to hang it up, though, but it won’t be because we can no longer do it. It will be because it’s simply time, meaning Father Time wins again.

1 Jun 2021 admin

Product Spotlight – FOREMAT – It’s More Than A Mat

A revolutionary golf training mat (ForeMat) is starting to get a lot of attention. It has been successful for students of university coaches and top golf instructors. ForeMat, a new training tool with built-in instructions, corrects the most common errors of more than 80% of golfers related to aim and alignment (head control). Practicing and perfecting this pre-shot routine develops good golf habits, making it possible for the golfer to be in the best physical and mental position prior to swinging, resulting in the head of the club square at impact and a straight shot at the target. The methodology incorporates published tips of PGA tour pros such as Jack Nicklaus, Ernie Els and Rory McIlroy, which contributed to their own success on the course. ForeMat was originally called “The Good Golf Habit.” Bob Toski, PGA Hall of Famer, has no hesitation in endorsing this very innovative teaching mat as the best teaching aid he has seen in 50 years. For more information, go to GolfForeMat.com.

1 Jun 2021 admin

Student Spotlight – Shelby Warner

Coached by Thomas T Wartelle, WGTF & PGA Shelby Warner is a playing professional originally from Lima, Ohio. Her goal is to play professional golf on the LPGA Tour. Before turning professional, she was a student-athlete at the University of Findlay in Ohio, where she graduated in 2017 with an MBA in Finance and Accounting. Feeling like her athletic career was unfinished, she has decided to pursue a career as a professional golfer. Shelby now travels the country playing on the WAPT Tour to prepare for 2021 LPGA Qualifying School.

Currently based in New Orleans, Louisiana, she is coached by Thomas T Wartelle, WGTF & PGA Professional. The main focus is on her swing, short game, and tournament preparation.

Shelby is pound for pound one of the longer hitters in ladies golf. However, she also possesses great finesse and control both with her irons and short game.

Being a playing professional takes hard work, perseverance, and sponsors. Shelby is building her team on all fronts, from golf coaching to fitness.Shelby trains using the GOATA Golf System. This system uses slow motion technology to identify incorrect movement patterns that cause pain, inconsistent golf, and potential ligament and joint damage. Using this technology, Shelby is able to apply it to her golf swing and workouts. GOATA Golf allows her to move better and play better.

Look for Shelby on tour as she is a rising athlete who works hard on her game. You can support and follow Shelby’s golf career on social media at Instagram:@shelby.Warner.18 Twitter: @snwarner18

1 Jun 2021 admin

Teaching “Pro” File – Mark Harman

He’s the longest continuing USGTF employee in the organization’s history, and says he’s fortunate to know so many great members over the years. For Mark Harman, it all started in 1991 when he was an examiner at one of the very early certification courses held in Lehigh Acres, Florida. Two years later he became the USGTF national course director (now director of instruction), a position he’s held ever since.

Harman took up the game at age 12 and dreamed of a professional playing career. But the game came hard for him, and in his final year of college golf his scoring average was 80.1. He took a job in the business world as a finance collector and computer programmer, but golf was never far from his mind. He played virtually every day after work and on the weekends, and worked his way down to a scratch handicap. Through a mutual friend, he met Geoff Bryant, founder of the USGTF and at the time owner of the Florida Golf School. Bryant took a chance on Harman, and the rest, they say, is history.

Harman continued to work on his game in the meantime with several professional accomplishments, including winning the United States Golf Teachers Cup seven times. He also considers himself a rules geek and has gone through the USGA rules class, and is a frequent contributor to USGTF publications. Today, in addition to his work for the USGTF, he teaches at a PGA Tour Superstore and at Southbridge Savannah Golf Club in Georgia. This fall, he will once again serve as tournament director for the U.S. Cup, and looks forward to seeing everyone after a year’s absence.